el nino hit in '98. tomorrow when you are enjoying your christmas keep in mind the folks here will be half soggy christmas. paris sims looks at her home and hopes when santa comes tonight he brings lots of new carpeting. >> neighbor comes knocking the water is coming over we begin to open all the gates and the water was just flooded within seconds you had water this high in the front yard. >> reporter: kicking back in a christmas mood last night. >> policeman telling me we got to get evacuated. we started panicking because i have a little baby. >> reporter: this morning the waters receded concerns have not. spokesman for the menlo park fire protection district says the levees along san francisquito creek have been damaged. he says the california

conservation grove will shore up the levee temporarily until this summer. [ inaudible ] >> we would like to get people out of fema and have 10000 year capacity of water flows to go -- 100 year to have water flows to >> reporter: the project is supposed to last 18 months, maybe two years maybe by 2015, major flood problem here along this creek will have been taken care of. palo alto, terry mcsweeney, abc7 news. right now search crews looking for suspected drunk driver who took a dangerous plunge in the north bay while running from police that search is happening near the college of marin on sir francis drake boulevard. amy hollyfield is live there with the latest. >> reporter: they just called off the search. there's no sign of him.

officials say they aren't sure what that means. video from overnight they were searching from 1 a.m. to 4:30 a.m. then they started again this morning this started with when they tried to stop a man for a possible dui they say he took off running from his car this was around midnight on sir francis drake boulevard. officers were chasing him and saw him jump into the creek. they decided they needed to keep looking for him. >> we called out resources because we are not sure whether he made it out or not and we would like to make sure that if he didn't make it out, is he still clinging to a branch or stuck some place? we want to get him out if possible. >> reporter: they got started again near the cortamadera creek at first light, volunteers from search-and-rescue teams did a surface search. they looked from a helicopter but there is no sign of him

and they are not sure what that means whether he may be drowned and they didn't see his body, they did not have a dive team out here or maybe go away. amy hollyfield, abc7 news. there are multiple traffic problems in the oakland hills where a mudslide blocked lanes at skyline and shepard canyon road. on the way to cover the mudslide our news truck was blocked by a fallen tree. the heavy rains weakened the soil and it toppled. crews on the scene clearing the mess. rock slides have brought traffic to a halt on highway 1, south of big sur caltrans has closed the highway. the slides happened yesterday around 5:30 p.m., no word when the roads will reopen. bay area retailers counting on expanded hours and

deep discounts to draw people out for last minute christmas shopping. shoppers were hitting the stores in union square before 8:00 this morning. similar scenes all over the bay area, especially south bay where david lieu with which is, live in san jose. -- >> reporter: mother nature has given bay area retailers an early holiday gift, rain-free day that hopefully will drive shoppers out, people who were afraid to brace the elements yesterday. here's the situation here in san jose at target, there's been a steady stream of shoppers some baskets are full others reflect last minute purchases, christmas eve buyers tend to be men we've seen a balance of men and women shopping this morning that may help retailers realize 2 -- 2 1/2 to 3% increase in sales this saturday that brick and mortar stores shine. there are bargains to be had.

you save money by shopping late? >> yeah, i did actually. there's things on clear and 40% off. i just saved some money. >> reporter: now the big job is wrapping. >> that's all fun, i have help. >> i'm just here to pick up ice and stocking stuffers, that's it. >> reporter: your duty is light today? >> yes. i get to cook tomorrow. >> reporter: target is going to be open until 9 p.m.. some malls are planning to close at 6:00 p.m. valley fair in san jose andsjñns san francio center in the city that will be relief for some of the workers who have been working overnight and extended hours in the final hours before christmas. if you're planning to do last minute shopping, don't forget the wrapping paper. live in san jose, david louie,

abc7 news. >> great tip, thank you. happens all the time. upside of waiting until the laugh minute, the deep discounts. -- the last minute, the deep discounts. kira klapper joins us with the deals. >> reporter: last minute shoppers might not find a parking spot today but they will find steals, prices slashed on clothes, toys, even appliance. with hours until christmas, the madness at the mall is in full swing. 10% of americans have waited until today to buy their final gifts. if you are one of those hunting for that perfect present, no doubt, you will find a great deal. >> a lot of the stores now the same markdowns as they did black friday weekend, great time to come out. >> reporter: 40% off american at eastern eagle and banana republic, k mart offering 50% off pajamas and robes, sears between $90 off tool sets.

lowe's 20% off vacuums. toys "r" us buy one get one 30% off for video games, target a nook simple touch for $119 and a $20 gift card back. wal-mart selling ipad 3 for $399 and a $30 gift card in return. phone 5, wal-mart offering -- iphone 5, wal-mart is offering $75 off. stores have extended hours. macy's and michael's open until 6:00 tonight. costco and best buy until 5. target and toys "r" us until 10 p.m.. if you think that you have that last minute luck, walgreens is open all day tomorrow. speaking of procrastinating, turns out we west coasters are the biggest in the nation. 79% of us are shopping at the last minute.

>> i don't think that reflects well on us. >> i'm shock, shocked! just ahead, why 49ers kicker acres is being targeted. san francisco children in need,;ç drive underway now and how you can help.

a tragedy unfolding in upstate new york where four

volunteer firefighters were shot responding to a house fire, two confirm firm dead. investigators still on the scene in webster, new york a suburb of rochester. the police chief says the shooter set a trap early this morning and when crews arrived to the house fire he shot them. >> the threat has been eliminated. the shooter is believed to be deceased at the scene. we have yet to identify who the shooter is but the threat has been eliminated. the neighborhood is safe at this time. >> investigators are trying to figure out if it was the gunman who called 911. two surviving firefighters in serious condition. an off-duty police officer who was driving by was hurt by flying shrapnel. london newspaper suing to get money back from lance armstrong. the sunday times paid armstrong nearly half a million dollars in 2006 to settle a libel suit he filed

over allegations he used performance-enhancing drugs they are suing for 1 1/2 million dollars after an investigation proved he was doping and strips of his seven titles. 49ers' kicker acres has shutdown his twitter account after someone tweeted him a death threat. the account of the person who sent the threat also deactivated. the threat read: "if you miss one more field goal you about to get your entire life ended." it happened before the loss to seattle which included a field goal that the seahawks returned for a touchdown. nurses are protesting wage cuts and changes to working conditions this is the latest back-out in an ongoing contract dispute. the action affects most sutter i will -- sutter facilities. happening now, last minute toy drive underway in san francisco to make sure every child has a merry

christmas tomorrow. lefty o'doul's is holding a 20 hour toy drive, asking last minute shoppers to stop by and make a difference in a child's life. o'doul's is hoping to collect 15,000 toys by 1 a.m. tomorrow, volunteer officers and firefighters will deliver the gifts in time for christmas tomorrow morning. meteorologist mike nicco is ahead with our forecast. looks like rain is on the way how about for a gift for tomorrow? thankfully today is dry we'll show when the wet weather is going to take over and how much to expect and if there's flooding concerns. plus, christmas surprise. what skiers and snowboarders can expect when they hit the slopes tomorrow.

breaking news out of mill valley. water main break on marin and flamingo road off tennessee valley road. residents are being advised to move cars away from the gushing water. there are no reports of injuries. fire crews have called for

assistance from public works. the fire department is shot -- is not sure when they will have ununcontrol. >> -- have it under control. here's a view from donner lake late yesterday, heavy snow fell this morning chains are mandatory on almost all mountain highways. the snow is making skiers and resorts happy, several feet of fresh snow has fallen this is from heavenly mountain. this will be one of the snowiest christmases for tahoe in years. if you bring your chains remember to bring money to pay the guys to put them on. i'm not good with that. >> i've never tried. >> we neither. -- me neither. $25, $50 something like that or a tire depends on how desperate you are. we were desperate for rain i

think we've had enough, haven't we? unfortunately we have more on the way. enjoy this beautiful picture from our east bay hills camera near vollmer peak heading to the east you saw mount diablo with what a beautiful day at our beaches mostly sunny, a lot of sunshine rough surf over now. live doppler getting ready for that next storm to come in right now, we are notc seeing it. but, once it gets close to the coast tomorrow morning live doppler will pick up on it first because it will be coming from the west which means hitting that northwest corner sonoma county first during the morning hours tomorrow. fog central valley, rivers, with we were a little concerned still with the russian river had a flood watch for a while flood stage 32 going to peak tonight more than 30 feet getting into that cautious category that's why it is yellow looks like it is

going to drop quickly. napa where we had flooding peaked last night the napa river and will recede over the next couple of days even with the rain coming at us tomorrow. 46 santa rosa, 47 san rafael. right now low to mid 50s from the monterey bay and inland. today partly cloudy and just one. it is going to be wet and breezy christmas day mainly dry thursday through sunday. still a chance of a shower thursday and sunday for sure friday and saturday dry. over the last 10 hours front moved south, high pressure moves in now and our next system looking impressive, bulk is going to head north, we'll get the tail end but still wet and breezy, tuesday mainly into the afternoon. today mostly sunny to partly cloudy, increasing high clouds late more high clouds

overnight not as cool tomorrow morning with high clouds maybe a few sprinkles when you wake up tomorrow morning. steadier rain is going to start moving into the north bay between 10 and more like lay noon with the more moderate rain you can see moving in at 2:00, heading into the bay around 3:00, 4:00, down into the south bay about 5 to 6:00, then we'll still have steadier lighter rain through 9:00, then scattered showers overnight through wednesday morning then once wednesday afternoon scattered showers until 4:00 then sun angle gets so low the instability starts to fall part the only place it is unstable effort the coast wednesday night into thursday dry. rainfall amounts, normally should be nice, after what we've been through, this much, half an inch up to half an inch south bay, east bay, peninsula 3/4 of an inch like north bay up to 1 1/2 inches north bay and santa cruz mountains. sierra today is a great day to

get there tomorrow also, tomorrow evening all bets off, 10 to 15 inches of snow above 7,000 feet, 5 to 10 inches of new snow to lake levels, chain controls and travel delays expect to need and experience both of those. more fresh powder in the sierra. tomorrow in the mid 50s, with the steadier rain in the afternoon and evening, scattered showers wednesday, slight chance thursday. dry friday, saturday. another slight chance sunday, mainly low to mid 50s everyday. queen elizabeth has recorded her annual christmas message in 346 d for the first time paying tribute to the olympic athletes you see the queen trying on her especially-made 3-d glasses buckingham palace says the queen is recovering from a cold but expected to attend

church services and a family celebration tomorrow. tracking santa claus. we'll show you where he's delivering presents right now and the competing website where you can track his progress.

update on breaking news we brought you a few minutes ago in mill valley water main break you are looking at live pictures from sky 7 hd, southern marin fire district advised residents to move their cars from the gushing water. looks like it is no longer gushing there may be a big puddle in the middle of the street. the crew heading to the scene,

we'll bring an update today on abc7 news at 4:00. obviously that intersection is blocked off now. coming up at 3 on katie, holiday performances from rod stewart on abc7 news at 4, holiday hero the police officer who jumped into icy waters to save a woman's life. at 5, michael finney steps in to help a woman when she can't get her tv repaired, even though it is under warranty. those stories and more at 4 and 5. new york city decked out in the holiday spirit. empire state building glowing with red and green lights in honor of christmas and the lights stay on every night through the 6th of january. december 28th, the building will light the colors of syracuse university and west virginia in honor of the bowl at yankee stadium.

christmas eve day which means we are tracking san >> this year two competing tracking services norad, north american aerospace demand shows santa is in saudi arabia, google behind showing santa is in turkey. >> wherever santa is now, boys and girls make sure you are being good, santa will be here soon. if you with would like to keep an eye we have links on abc7news.com. click on see it on tv. >> real-time satellite picture amazing the technology we have. >> what did we do before that? from all of us here on abc7 news thanks for joining us. >> who wants to be a >> who wants to be a millionaire is next. captioned by closed captioning services, inc.

[cheers and applause] >> hello, everybody, and welcome to millionaire. take a look at this audience. everyone is wearing purple to support the alzheimer's association. [cheers and applause] you look great.is world alzheims month, and we are raising moneys terrible disease. this is our third year doing this, and if you remember last year, we raised a ton of money, beginning with fashion guru carson kressley, who kicked things off by winning $25,000, susie essman from curb your enthusiasm added some serious cash to the cause when she won $100,000,